Cisco Meraki MX
7.7/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.3/5 (G2)
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN
Best Firewall (Small Business) · 2026
Cisco Meraki MX vs 
SonicWall TZ Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ: on our data-weighted scoring, Cisco Meraki MX edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.5/10). Cisco Meraki MX starts at Custom quote and is best for multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN; SonicWall TZ starts at Custom quote and is best for budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW. Choose Cisco Meraki MX for the stronger overall track record; consider SonicWall TZ if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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SonicWall TZ
7.5/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.1/5 (~144 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Deployment
- On-prem
- Best for
- Budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | Cisco Meraki MX | SonicWall TZ |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.7 | 7.5 |
| User reviews | 8.6 | 8.2 |
| Adoption | 0.0 | 5.7 |
| Affordability | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 6.0 | 6.0 |
Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ: head-to-head
| Cisco Meraki MX | SonicWall TZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Pricing model | quote | quote |
| Free trial / tier | 30 days | 30 days |
| Best for | Multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN | Budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW |
| Deployment | Cloud | On-prem |
| G2 rating | 4.3/5 | 4.1/5 (144) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.7 | 7.5 |
Choose Cisco Meraki MX if…
You need multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with auto vpn.
✓ Pros
- Effortless multi-site management
- Strong Talos threat intelligence
- Best-in-class "set and forget" simplicity
✕ Cons
- Mandatory per-device licensing (stops if it lapses)
- Quote-only pricing
- Pricey at scale
Choose SonicWall TZ if…
You need budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level ngfw.
✓ Pros
- Strong feature breadth for the price
- Good fit for small single-site offices
- Cloud-managed via NSM
✕ Cons
- Lower G2 satisfaction than peers
- Performance issues on complex configs
- Patching discipline required
In depth
Pricing: Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ
Cisco Meraki MX bills on a quote model from Custom quote (30 days trial), while SonicWall TZ uses a quote model from Custom quote (30 days trial). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Cisco Meraki MX ships 6 headline capabilities (100% cloud-managed dashboard, Auto VPN site-to-site meshing, Cisco Talos threat intelligence, SD-WAN + application-aware routing) and deploys Cloud. SonicWall TZ ships 6 (Entry-level NGFW (TZ series), Network Security Manager cloud console, Capture ATP sandboxing, SD-WAN support), deploying On-prem.
Ratings & verdict
Cisco Meraki MX holds 4.3/5 (G2); SonicWall TZ holds 4.1/5 (~144 G2 reviews). On our data-weighted score, Cisco Meraki MX edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.5/10). Pick SonicWall TZ instead when budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level ngfw. See Cisco Meraki MX alternatives or SonicWall TZ alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ: which is better?
- Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ: on our data-weighted scoring, Cisco Meraki MX edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.5/10). Cisco Meraki MX starts at Custom quote and is best for multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN; SonicWall TZ starts at Custom quote and is best for budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW.
- Is Cisco Meraki MX cheaper than SonicWall TZ?
- Cisco Meraki MX starts at Custom quote and SonicWall TZ starts at Custom quote (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: meraki.cisco.com, sonicwall.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.